Revolutionary AI Tool 'CognoSpeak' Predicts Alzheimer's With Incredible Accuracy

A novel digital resource capable of identifying preliminary indicators of dementia and Alzheimer's disease with speed and effectiveness has been crafted by scholars from the University of Sheffield, backed financially by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

CognoSpeak incorporates AI and voice technology to autonomously scrutinize language and verbal patterns that could require additional expert investigation, potentially being initial symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have demonstrated that this tool can predict Alzheimer's with the same accuracy as present pen-and-paper-based evaluations.

The tool is currently undergoing expanded trials as scientists recruit 700 patients from memory clinics throughout the UK for the purpose of enhancing the system.

Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock

CognoSpeak has the potential to expedite the commencement of treatments for patients and alleviate the load on dementia evaluation services by liberating crucial expert time, improving healthcare access, and facilitating an earlier diagnosis.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a new AI tool capable of aiding doctors in the swift and effective assessment of early signs of dementia and Alzheimer's.

CognoSpeak, the system in question, uses a virtual agent displayed on a screen to interact with a patient. It poses memory probing queries based on those used in outpatient consultations and carries out cognitive assessments like picture explanations and verbal fluency tests.

Subsequently, the tool employs AI and speech technology to analyze language and verbal patterns in order to detect signs of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and other memory disorders.

The creators of this technology affirm that, following further testing in GP and secondary care memory clinics across the UK, CognoSpeak could play a pivotal role in easing the load on dementia evaluation services.

The system is being developed to function between primary and secondary care. This implies that, once fully implemented, a GP could refer an individual with memory complaints to use this technology. CognoSpeak would then relay the test results back to the GP, who would then decide if the patient should be referred to a memory clinic for further examination.

Accessible via a web browser, CognoSpeak allows patients to undertake the test in their own homes using a computer, laptop, or tablet, as opposed to waiting for a hospital appointment for a pen-and-paper-based test, which can frequently cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.

Preliminary trials indicate that this technology can predict Alzheimer's as accurately as the existing pen-and-paper-based tests used for the evaluation or screening of cognitive, memory, or thinking impairments. The team has managed to achieve accuracies of 90 percent in distinguishing individuals with Alzheimer's from those that are cognitively healthy.

Developed by Dr. Dan Blackburn and Professor Heidi Christensen from the University of Sheffield's Departments of Neuroscience and Computer Science, the CognoSpeak system, while still in the research phase, is being trialed on a broader scale, courtesy of a £1.4 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). To further the development of this system, the researchers are recruiting 700 participants from memory clinics throughout the UK.

Dr. Dan Blackburn, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Neuroscience, expressed: "Waiting for a possible diagnosis of dementia can be a very anxious time for patients and their families. This tool could help patients start treatments sooner, reduce waiting times and give people certainty earlier.

"The CognoSpeak system could transform how dementia and other memory disorders are diagnosed by speeding up assessments. This would also free-up clinicians' valuable time and mean that those who need specialist care get access to it as quickly as possible."

Professor Heidi Christensen from the University of Sheffield's Department of Computer Science stated: "The way a person speaks can tell us a great deal about their cognitive health and emotional wellbeing, and give us a very early indication of any signs of cognitive decline that may not otherwise have been detected. The system we've developed here at Sheffield uses speech technology to automatically extract these signs, and automation means we can provide a consistent, accurate and fast assessment for everyone.

"CognoSpeak is advanced, high tech and based on world leading research in this field. We have the biggest collection of data for this type of assessment anywhere in the world, which we're using to advance the technology and improve its accuracy."

The creation of the CognoSpeak tool was a collaborative effort involving Therapy Box - a company specializing in speech and language technology - and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Devices for Dignity MedTech Cooperative (D4D), who are spearheading the effort to ensure the AI is dependable, reliable and user-friendly for all prospective users, working closely with patients, families, and ethnic minority community groups.

Efforts are also being made by the research team to make the tool available to patients from ethnic minority communities who are less likely to utilize dementia services and for whom English may be a secondary language.

Lise Sproson, Patient and Public Involvement Lead at D4D, said: "We are working closely with a broad range of community groups, including Sheffield's Israac Somali Community Association, to co-develop the look and feel of the CognoSpeak system, to ensure it is acceptable, relatable and easy to use.

"We are training the AI with a range of regional UK accents and those speaking English as an additional language, in order to maintain the accuracy it has previously demonstrated on tests with native English speakers across the population as a whole."

Dr Blackburn, who also serves as an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and researcher at NIHR Sheffield BRC, added: "There is a real clinical need for this kind of technology. There are long waiting lists for memory clinics across the UK, but there are also inequalities in accessing the memory clinics service. The CognoSpeak tool can reduce these inequalities and help make the service more efficient."

Currently, about 900,000 individuals in the UK live with dementia, a figure expected to nearly double by 2040, according to the Alzheimer's Society. Referrals for assessment are increasing at a fast pace, and memory clinics often have long waiting lists.

Professor Mike Lewis, Director of NIHR's i4i Programme, said: "Cognospeak is an innovative example of how digital health technology can transform the way we tackle conditions like dementia, helping to find ways to make it easier to find and assess patients to ensure they get access to the right treatment and support."

Patients are being recruited to participate in the CognoSpeak trial via memory clinics across the UK. For participation in the trial, please visit www.cognospeak.com.